Qin Shi Huang: Unifying China · chapter 3 of 8
The Guest Minister
被赶走的李斯
The king wants all foreigners sent away, even his clever minister Li Si. One letter changes his mind and starts a plan to join seven kingdoms into one.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 秦王长大了，吕不韦离开了。现在，嬴政自己管国家。
Qín wáng zhǎng dà le, Lǚ Bùwéi líkāi le. Xiànzài, Yíng Zhèng zìjǐ guǎn guójiā.
The king of Qin had grown up, and Lu Buwei was gone. Now Ying Zheng ran the country himself.
- Old Lord 大王！外国来的人，都是来骗我们的！请把他们全部赶走！
Dàwáng! Wàiguó lái de rén, dōu shì lái piàn wǒmen de! Qǐng bǎ tāmen quánbù gǎn zǒu!
Your Majesty! All these foreigners come here to trick us! Please send every one of them away!
- King Zheng 全部赶走？可是他们里面，有很多有本事的人，对秦国帮助很大。
Quánbù gǎn zǒu? Kěshì tāmen lǐmiàn, yǒu hěn duō yǒu běnshi de rén, duì Qínguó bāngzhù hěn dà.
Every one? But many of them are very capable, and they've helped Qin a great deal.
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Qin Shi Huang: Unifying China is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Old Lord 他们的心不在秦国！就说那个李斯，他是楚国人！
Tāmen de xīn bú zài Qínguó! Jiù shuō nà ge Lǐ Sī, tā shì Chǔguó rén!
Their hearts aren't in Qin! Take that Li Si. He's from Chu!
- King Zheng 李斯……我很喜欢他的想法。可是大家都这样说……好吧，写下命令。
Lǐ Sī… wǒ hěn xǐhuan tā de xiǎngfǎ. Kěshì dàjiā dōu zhèyàng shuō… hǎo ba, xiě xià mìnglìng.
Li Si... I like his ideas. But everyone says so... Fine. Write down the order.
- Old Lord 大王说得对！我马上去办！
Dàwáng shuō de duì! Wǒ mǎshàng qù bàn!
Well said, Your Majesty! I'll do it right away!
- King Zheng 我的心里，为什么还是不太舒服呢？
Wǒ de xīnlǐ, wèishénme háishi bú tài shūfu ne?
Why do I still feel uneasy inside?
- Li Si 我来秦国十年了，现在他们要我走。真是好笑。
Wǒ lái Qínguó shí nián le, xiànzài tāmen yào wǒ zǒu. Zhēn shì hǎoxiào.
I've been in Qin ten years, and now they want me gone. How funny.
- Li Si 也好。可是走以前，我要给大王写一封信。
Yě hǎo. Kěshì zǒu yǐqián, wǒ yào gěi dàwáng xiě yì fēng xìn.
Fine. But before I go, I'll write the king a letter.
- Li Si 大王，高山不赶走每一块泥土，大海不赶走每一条小河，所以它们才那么大。
Dàwáng, gāoshān bù gǎn zǒu měi yí kuài nítǔ, dàhǎi bù gǎn zǒu měi yì tiáo xiǎohé, suǒyǐ tāmen cái nàme dà.
Your Majesty, a mountain doesn't push away any bit of earth, and the sea doesn't push away any river. That's why they are so big.
- Li Si 国家也一样。你赶走有本事的人，他们就会去帮别的国家。
Guójiā yě yíyàng. Nǐ gǎn zǒu yǒu běnshi de rén, tāmen jiù huì qù bāng bié de guójiā.
A country is the same. Chase away the capable, and they will go help someone else.
- Li Si 好了。我把信交给守门的人。走吧，牛！
Hǎo le. Wǒ bǎ xìn jiāo gěi shǒu mén de rén. Zǒu ba, niú!
There. I'll give the letter to the gatekeeper. Come on, ox!
- Rider 李斯先生！停一停！大王要你回去！
Lǐ Sī xiānsheng! Tíng yi tíng! Dàwáng yào nǐ huíqù!
Mr. Li Si! Stop! The king wants you to come back!
- Li Si 这么快？大王的马，真的比我的牛快多了。
Zhème kuài? Dàwáng de mǎ, zhēn de bǐ wǒ de niú kuài duō le.
So fast? The king's horse really is much faster than my ox.
- Rider 大王说，他的命令错了！他在等你。
Dàwáng shuō, tā de mìnglìng cuò le! Tā zài děng nǐ.
The king says his order was wrong! He is waiting for you.
- King Zheng 李斯，你的信，我看了三遍。是我错了，对不起。
Lǐ Sī, nǐ de xìn, wǒ kàn le sān biàn. Shì wǒ cuò le, duìbuqǐ.
Li Si, I read your letter three times. I was wrong. I'm sorry.
- Li Si 大王愿意说对不起，这比我写的那封信，更了不起。
Dàwáng yuànyì shuō duìbuqǐ, zhè bǐ wǒ xiě de nà fēng xìn, gèng liǎobuqǐ.
A king who is willing to say sorry is more impressive than the letter I wrote.
- King Zheng 我请你回来，是因为我想做一件很大的事。
Wǒ qǐng nǐ huílái, shì yīnwèi wǒ xiǎng zuò yí jiàn hěn dà de shì.
I asked you back because I want to do something very big.
- Li Si 大王想做什么大事？
Dàwáng xiǎng zuò shénme dà shì?
What great thing does Your Majesty want to do?
- King Zheng 现在有七个国家，天天打仗，很多人没有家。我要让七个国家变成一个。
Xiànzài yǒu qī gè guójiā, tiāntiān dǎzhàng, hěn duō rén méiyǒu jiā. Wǒ yào ràng qī gè guójiā biànchéng yí gè.
There are seven countries now, fighting every day, and many people have lost their homes. I want to make the seven into one.
- Li Si 这件事很难，要一个一个来。先打最小的韩国。
Zhè jiàn shì hěn nán, yào yí gè yí gè lái. Xiān dǎ zuì xiǎo de Hánguó.
That's very hard. We must take them one by one. First the smallest, Han.
- King Zheng 韩国，赵国，魏国，楚国，燕国，齐国……六个国家，我都记住了。
Hánguó, Zhàoguó, Wèiguó, Chǔguó, Yānguó, Qíguó… liù gè guójiā, wǒ dōu jìzhù le.
Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, Qi... six countries. I've memorized them all.
- Li Si 大王，路很长。你要准备很多年，也要有很多耐心。
Dàwáng, lù hěn cháng. Nǐ yào zhǔnbèi hěn duō nián, yě yào yǒu hěn duō nàixīn.
Your Majesty, the road is long. You will need many years, and a lot of patience.
- King Zheng 我已经准备了很多年。李斯，你会帮我吗？
Wǒ yǐjīng zhǔnbèi le hěn duō nián. Lǐ Sī, nǐ huì bāng wǒ ma?
I have been ready for many years. Li Si, will you help me?
- Li Si 我会。我要让所有人知道，外国人也能为秦国做很多大事。
Wǒ huì. Wǒ yào ràng suǒyǒu rén zhīdào, wàiguó rén yě néng wèi Qínguó zuò hěn duō dà shì.
I will. I'll show everyone that a foreigner can do many great things for Qin.
- Narrator 几年过去了。韩国和赵国，都不在了。
Jǐ nián guòqù le. Hánguó hé Zhàoguó, dōu bú zài le.
Some years passed. Han and Zhao were both gone.
- Guard 大王！燕国的使者来了！他说，他有一份大礼给你！
Dàwáng! Yānguó de shǐzhě lái le! Tā shuō, tā yǒu yí fèn dà lǐ gěi nǐ!
Your Majesty! An envoy from Yan is here! He says he has a great gift for you!
- King Zheng 大礼？好啊，让他进来。
Dàlǐ? Hǎo a, ràng tā jìnlái.
A great gift? Good. Let him in.
- Li Si 大王，请小心。一个害怕你的人，为什么要笑着送礼？
Dàwáng, qǐng xiǎoxīn. Yí gè hàipà nǐ de rén, wèishénme yào xiàozhe sòng lǐ?
Your Majesty, be careful. Why would a man who fears you smile and bring you gifts?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why do the nobles want the foreigners sent away?
“都是来骗我们的”
- What does Li Si say in his letter?
“高山不赶走每一块泥土，大海不赶走每一条小河”
- How does the king react to the letter?
“是我错了，对不起”
- What is the king's big dream?
“我要让七个国家变成一个”
- Why is Li Si uneasy at the end?
“一个害怕你的人，为什么要笑着送礼”